New to Colecovision kind of

[cubejunky]

Hi, 

I had a Colecovision many years ago, and recently found one at a flea market for a decent price so picked it up. Got it all hooked up and cleaned the cartridge slot and games. When I turn it on, the picture goes black with static and nothing else. Any ideas what’s wrong and how to fix or who could fix it.. not good with a soldering iron at all.

[sn8k]

Congratulations. You just bought one of the most finicky unreliable consoles there is. I'm weary of any Colecovision I come across in the wild. 1st one I bought was good for a few months. Then 10 minutes into games static would appear and then screen would go black. Then the image stopped working altogether and all I had was static and black screen.

 

I don't know how to fix it myself...... but I know the issue is the power button. Common point of failure on all Colecovisions. I returned it and got my money back.

 

I bought a refurbished upgraded one from Ruggers. Works great. New power supply, HD picture, no faulty power switch. Hours of uninterrupted gaming now.

 

Then I somehow managed to get a Phoenix when all pre orders were sold out. I play on that mostly but still like seeing that classic original Colecovision under my TV. I feel it's still one of the best looking console designs ever.

 

They only seem to be unreliable due to their age. It will either be the power supply dying or power switch cutting video signal that is usually the problem.  The main guts that keep it running seem to be bulletproof.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by sn8k

[phattyboombatty]

On 7/13/2021 at 4:52 PM, cubejunky said:

Hi, 

I had a Colecovision many years ago, and recently found one at a flea market for a decent price so picked it up. Got it all hooked up and cleaned the cartridge slot and games. When I turn it on, the picture goes black with static and nothing else. Any ideas what’s wrong and how to fix or who could fix it.. not good with a soldering iron at all.

Can’t believe no one has pointed you to all of the refurb threads that are in this forum. Do a goog or DDG search and preface with site:atariage.com. There has been a big boom for picking up vintage systems and refurbing them over the past 25 years, although most threads have dwindled since all the info is already documented. 
 

A black screen is typically an easy fix by giving it a good clean with electronics cleaner spray. Some will say there may be circuit, PCB, or IC issues, but I’ve never seen a “bad” CV system.